Brake calipers have been employed on modern vehicle brake systems as an upgrade from older style drum brakes. Such calipers conventionally engage at the perimeter of a rotor engaged to the axle of the wheel they are intended to brake. In operation, when a brake pedal is pressed, two opposing brake pads are forced together toward the rotating rotor and engage and slow it and the wheel.
There are a number of problems associated with such systems from an owner's standpoint. First, calipers inherently eject brake shoe dust onto the wheel and caliper itself. The dust is the byproduct of the frictional engagement of the brake pads with the rotor during stopping of the wheel. Most drivers consider the brake dust unsightly on the caliper as well as being less than fond of the caliper view through the wheel slots.
Another problem encountered by such calipers is that of heat from the frictional engagement to the rotor, as well as the communication of the dust not only to the caliper but to the wheels and surface of the car and surrounding wheel well. Previous caliper covers have been employed however, they glue to the caliper which is unsafe and hard to remove, or, require the removal of the caliper from its mount and the employment of special tools and mounting components to provide a mount for the caliper cover. This is beyond the scope of most owner's skills and tool collections.
As such, there exists an unmet need for a caliper cover that does not require removal of the caliper from the axle to engage the cover. Such a device should easily engage to the caliper without special tools in a simple and quick fashion and should provide aesthetic enhancement of the view of the caliper through the slots of the wheel it stops. Additionally, such a device should provide a means to contain brake dust to keep it from covering the wheel too quickly and optionally may be adapted to provide cooling to the caliper using air venting past the cover on a moving vehicle.